Mission of Gold: The Path Forward
by jumbledup925
Summary: An AU one-shot tag to "Mission of Gold". Amanda is recuperating, so everything will be fine, only Lee isn't sure that all his bad luck is behind him.


Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King is the property of Warner Bros. and Shoot the Moon Prod. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.

Lee leaned his long form against the door frame of his wife's hospital room and wearily rubbed his eyes. He should have been as pleased as Dotty was that Amanda's condition had improved enough for her to be moved out of the ICU, but he wasn't. He'd believed that he'd lost her twice in the last few days. The first time was when he realized that she'd been caught in the crossfire near the California pier, and the second time was when her heart had stopped and she had to be resuscitated.

Miraculously, she was still with him, and he was determined to do everything in his power to protect her from any and all potential dangers going forward. She looked pale and fragile as the nurse worked to remove the medical equipment that had been monitoring and sustaining her for the past few days. Those machines had been her lifeline, and he'd come to draw reassurance that she'd pull through from the steady beeping and humming sounds that emanated from them. As much as he hated hospitals, he couldn't deny that this staff and their technology had saved his wife. Now they wanted to detach the bulk of the machines and move her to a room where she wouldn't be constantly monitored. Rationally, he knew they wouldn't have chosen this course of action if Amanda wasn't ready for it, but that didn't quell the sense of panic that was slowly bubbling up inside him.

His attention was drawn from his dark thoughts back to the activity in the room before him. As part of the nurse's final preparations to move Amanda, she was gathering up her few possessions and placing them at the foot of her bed, and that's when he saw it…the clear plastic bag containing her bloody clothing. In an instant, he was overwhelmed by the terror he'd felt when he first saw her blood soaked sweater. He choked back the bile that was rising in his throat and blindly rushed from the room, nearly knocking down Dotty as she returned from calling home.

"Lee," Amanda called out brokenly, knowing that she couldn't go after him.

"What's-", Dotty began to ask until she saw the gory garment, and averted her own eyes.

"Oh, Mother, he needs me and I can't go after him." She slumped into the pillows that were propping her up, as her dark eyes welled with unshed tears.

"Don't worry, Dear, I'll go after him," Dotty volunteered. She hurried from the room, determined to locate and comfort the man that she was only just beginning to truly get to know. Her concern for him grew as her search proved unsuccessful. Where could he be? She was fairly certain that he wouldn't have left the small hospital. As she passed the nurse's station outside the ICU, one of the young nurses who'd been caring for Amanda called out to her.

"Mrs. West, if you're looking for Mr. Stetson, he's out in the courtyard." She pointed towards glass doors that led to a small landscaped area resembling a park. Looking through the doors, Dotty saw Lee slumped over a trash can at the far corner of the courtyard. Her relief at knowing where he was was short-lived as she considered how to approach him without causing him to retreat even further into himself. Watching as his upper body shook with dry heaves, she decided to offer comfort whether he wanted it or not. Her maternal instincts took over, and she quickly went out to him and gently ran her hand up and down his back.

"Lee, she's going to be just fine, you have to believe that."

"I want to," he replied, slowly turning around to face her. "I…we almost lost her." He shakily rubbed a hand across his red-rimmed eyes. "She WAS dead."

"I know that, I was there too," Dotty replied quietly, with a stricken expression on her face.

"I'm sorry, I'm being selfish. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you to come so close to losing your daughter." Embarrassed by the degree to which he'd become wrapped up in his own feelings, he hung his head.

"You don't need to apologize. I think I have some sense of what you're feeling now. I know what it's like to sit by helplessly while your spouse is fighting for his or her life." Lee's head shot up, he looked at her, opened his mouth and then closed it without saying anything."

"Don't even think about denying that you and Amanda eloped." Dotty couldn't help smiling briefly as she took in her new son-in law's shocked expression.

"I, uhh, how did you find out?" He was trying desperately to think clearly, but he was far too exhausted and emotionally spent to think of anything else to say.

"I overheard two nurses talking about how tragic it was for Amanda to be fighting for her life after only two days of marriage." The usually smooth talking agent didn't know what to say, so he remained silent as he continued to meet her gaze. "I won't pretend that I'm not hurt that you two ran off and eloped. I haven't made any secret of my desire to see you marry my daughter."

"No, you've made your feelings on that matter quite clear. We didn't want to exclude you and the boys, but…things got complicated and we-"

"Ran off. When Amanda is stronger, I expect you both to explain what possessed you two to elope instead of sharing your wedding with your family." He was immensely relieved that she wasn't demanding an immediate explanation from him. The relief he felt was evident to Dotty as she took in his more relaxed body language.

"I'm not pleased that you both led me to believe that you weren't ready for marriage, while you…never mind, this isn't the time for us to be discussing this."

"Please don't blame Amanda, I suggested that we elope."

"She could have said no." He raked his hand through his hair, not sure what he could say that wouldn't make the situation worse. She'd gotten to know him well enough to recognize that gesture as a sure sign that he was becoming agitated again. "Don't look so worried, the three of us will talk this out as a family."

"A family?" Dotty watched as the middle aged man standing before gazed at her with the wistful expression of the lonely little boy who'd given up hope of being part of a loving family again.

"Yes, when you married Amanda, you didn't just gain a wife. You've got two stepsons and a mother-in-law now. We already considered you to be practically part of the family. Now that it's official, I can speak as frankly to you, as I do to Amanda and the boys. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, of course not," he ventured, while silently wondering whether or not he was prepared to deal with an unrestrained Dotty without Amanda at his side.

"I'm glad to hear it; we have a lot to talk about. For starters, this whole business of you not eating breakfast is something that you'll have to reconsider when you move into the house. Skipping meals is unhealthy…don't think that I haven't noticed how little you've eaten in the last few days. We're going back to Amanda's room to let her know that we're going out to lunch. We both need a change of scenery and a balanced meal." She took his hand and led him back towards the building, having succeeded in moving him past his earlier worries and into this new chapter in all their lives.


End file.
